JJapan Trips

11 days first time in Tohuku and Hokkaido August 2024


Worked hard scouring Reddit to pull this one together!

11 days first time in Tohuku and Hokkaido August 2024

Main interests: food and nature

Questions:

  1. Preference to minimize changing hotels – is there any portion that can be a day trip instead of moving to another city? 

2)  Noboribetsu too hot in August?

3) any advice on transportation between the cities? 

4) where does Niseko fit in?

5) any favorite restaurants or hotels?

6) what should I include or exclude?

Thanks so much!!

Day 1

Day in Sapporo

  • Sleep in
  • Afternoon
    • Take public transit to Shiroi Koibito Park
    • Explore the surroundings (Myanooka Park?)
  • Evening
    • Eat at Rojiura Curry Samurai
    • Back to the hotel

Day 2

Day in Sapporo

  • Sleep in
  • afternoon 
    • Visit Sapporo's Beer Museum
    • Take a stroll to Ganso Ramen Yokocho and eat there
    • Hokkaido Shrine/Maruyama Park
    • Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium
    • Nijo Fish Market

Day 3

Day trip in Otaru

  • Morning
    • Take train to Otaru
    • Take a stroll alongside Otaru Canal
    • Visit Rin-yu morning market (open until 2PM) (eat something there if possible, otherwise find something to eat nearby)
  • Afternoon
  • Evening
    • Stroll back to Sakaimachi and find somewhere to eat (various fresh fish restaurants)
    • Back to Sapporo hotel

Day 4

Travel to Tomamu

drive 2.5Hr to Tomamu

TOMAMU to FURANO to BIEI to TOMAMU: Very early morning to Unkai Terraces for cloud viewing. 1.5Hr to Furano: Farm Tomita, Lavendar Fields. 30Min drive to BIEI – Shikisai no Oka, Blue Pond. Options for bike rental or Norroko open-window train. 1.5Hr drive back to Tomamu. melon farms by Yubari and Furano as the melon will very much be in season

Split anything not done here to day 5

https://www.snowtomamu.jp/summer/en/

Day 5

Day trip to Furano (complete what was not done yesterday)

  • Morning
    • Take the car and travel to Shikisai Hill and take in the beautiful sceneries
  • Afternoon
    • Travel to Shirogane Blue Pond (park and then hike)
    • Travel to Shirahige Waterfall and maybe explore some more trying to reach Daisetsuzan National Park
    • Maybe: try to visit Farm Tomita in Furano for lavender food stuff!
  • Evening

Day 6

Travel to Noboribetsu

Note: Maybe stay more days here without staying in Jozankei?

  • Morning
    • Check out from Asahikawa hotel
    • Travel by car to Noboribetsu
    • Check in in Noboribetsu stay (possibily an onsen/spa place)
    • On the way to Noboribetsu, we visited the National Ainu Museum in Upopoy.  
    • Travel to Sobetsu park and stroll around the area, maybe take a ferry to the lake Toya island
    • Find a place to eat (?)
    • Witness their dazzling and daring performance with giant handheld fireworks at the Demon’s Fire Footpath in Hell Valley. It takes place every Thursday and Friday between June and August from 8:30pm and is free to watch from a safe distance at Hell Valley’s observation platform. 
  • Afternoon
    • Travel back to Noboribetsu
    • Visit Noboribetsu Date Jidai Village (open until 4pm)
    • Travel to Jigokudani (Hell Valley)
  • Evening
    • Relax at the onsen, eat at the place

Day 7

Train Travel to Hakodate 

Overnight at Hakodate

  • Travel by car to Hakodate, eventually stopping by to take some pictures along the road
  • If given enough time (that is, we're not getting a surcharge for the car rental) we'd like to visit Goryokakucho
  • Give car back to car rental (near Shin-Hakodate station)
  • Eat in Daimon Yokocho
  • Afternoon
    • Visit Mt. Hakodate Observatory and the Hakodate port strip, eventually go back to Shin-Hakodate station for the shinkansen
  • Evening
    • Travel to Aomori via Shinkansen
    • Check in into the Aomori Hotel and relax, find a place nearby to eat

Day 8

Shinkansen to Aomori

Aomori/Hirosaki 

Overnight at Aomori

Morning:

Visit the A-factory and the Nebuta Museum WA RASSE (Both are located close to Aomori Station.)

Afternoon:

Visit Hirosaki (It takes approx. 50 mins from Aomori station by local train.)

  • (optional)
    • Visit Hirosaki Castle (if possible, we saw it is temporarily closed), visit its surroundings (park, etc.)
    • Visit the nearby Fujita Memorial Garden
    • Eat nearby
  • Evening
    • Travel back to Aomori

Day 9

Travel to Morioka

  • Morning
    • Check out from the hotel in Aomori
    • Travel with a Shinkansen from Aomori to Morioka
    • Check in into the Morioka hotel
    • Travel with public transport to Morioka Castle Ruins
      • Visit the park
      • View the Ishiwarizakura tree (400 years old tree!)
    • Eat nearby
  • Afternoon
    • Travel with public transport to Morioka Handcrafts Village
    • Spend the afternoon there
  • Evening
    • Find a place to eat nearby (in Morioka Handicrafts Village)
    • Travel back to Morioka hotel

Day 10

Travel to Sendai

Note: Another packed morning!

  • Check out from Morioka hotel
  • Travel with a Shinkansen from Morioka to Sendai
  • Check in into the Sendai hotel
    • Matsushima Bay
    • Visit the Sendai castle ruins and the Date Masamune statue, for a view of the city
    • Walk to Zuihoden / public transit to Rinnoji Temple
    • Evening
  • Try a bar-hopping tour

Day 11

Sendai to Tokyo

  • Morning
    • Travel to Matsushima Fish Market for a hearty breakfast
    • Stroll around Matsushima green area
    • Visit Benzaiten via Fukuurabashi Bridge
    • Eat nearby
  • Afternoon
    • Visit Date Masamune Historical museum
    • Go back to Sendai downtown
    • Take a stroll down Jozenji-dori Avenue
  • Evening
    • Visit Sunmall Ichibancho and eat there, shopping!

by curiousrocks

3 comments

  1. Most of the hotels in Morioka are located between the station and the centre of the city. The castle ruins are an easy walk from there. Most of the restaurants are in the centre of the city, so you’d be better off having dinner there than at the Handicrafts Village. Note that the bus network is somewhat sparce, so it might be better to get a taxi to the Handicrafts Village, especially as it’s quite a distance from the city. I’d suggest doing other stuff in the centre of the city instead though to be honest – the Morioka History and Culture Museum is quite interesting, for instance, and has an excellent shop.

    This appears to be at least in part an AI generated itinerary, and has the usual problems as a result. Most obviously, a lot of your days look very over-crowded. Many of the attractions you have listed also get low ratings on Google Maps and seem oddly selected – for instance, if you’re visiting Matsushima, why aren’t you doing a tour of Matsushima Bay? The town itself is pretty awful (it’s an ugly tourist trap type of place) but the bay is great and going on a cruise of it is the main reason people go there.

  2. On your Sendai day exclude Sendai entirely and do a day trip to Matsushima Bay instead.

    Niseko is a ski resort, although nice for views of Mt. Yotei in the summer. You can take a detour and visit lake Toya and Niseko on your way to Hakodate maybe

    Noboribetsu should be quite warm but pleasant

    You seem to have your transportation pretty well figured out

  3. Going from Asahikawa to Noboribetsu to Lake Toya and back to Noboribetsu is waaay too much. You’re going to be exhausted and won’t see anything. I recommend staying at noboribetsu and do a tour or something. There is a good local guide who does hikes and sightseeing trips. Check out [Nobo Tours](https://www.nobo-tours.com)

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